A coalition of top medical organizations has cautioned the Government that children imprisoned under contentious new rules may be at danger of mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder, clinical depression, and suicidal behavior.
In a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Health Secretary Steve Barclay, the groups expressed their disapproval of the child detention provisions in the Illegal Migration Bill and asked for an urgent meeting with the two.
Mental Health Consequences of Child Detention
The British Medical Association (BMA), the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), the Royal College of Psychiatry (RCP), and the Faculty of Public Health have all signed the letter, which was coordinated by the campaign coalition Together With Refugees and released at the beginning of Refugee Week.
Notably, the effects of being held continued to have an effect on children’s lives and wellbeing long after they were freed, according to the letter.
The House of Lords is now debating a bill that would permit the detention of children who enter the UK illegally and give authorities the authority to send unaccompanied minors elsewhere.
Prior to this, government policy aimed to impose severe restrictions on the incarceration of children.
The fact that we are taking such a massive step backwards and reverting to an antiquated and flat-out incorrect way of thinking is disturbing.
The Royal College of Psychiatry’s Dr. Adrian James Those that were allowed to stay could only do so until they turned 18 and they couldn’t stay in the UK permanently.
Children cannot be excused from the measures, the prime minister Rishi Sunak previously argued in response to those who criticized them, saying doing so could operate as a pull element to encourage individuals to cross.
Children would not be separated from families, according to Mr. Sunak, who also assured that they will be held in “suitable accommodations.”
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Urgent Response Required
The letter did, however, state that the 2014 safety measures, such as the detention time restrictions, are of the highest importance.
“As medical organizations and refugee groups, we reject the elements of the Illegal Migration Bill relating to the detention of children,” the letter’s opening line said. “We request an urgent meeting with you to discuss our concern.”
The letter, which was signed by Professor Andrew Rowland from RCPCH and Professor Kevin Fenton, president of the College of Public Health, urged the government to put a stop to these abhorrent ideas and warned that detaining children for indeterminate periods of time can cause unthinkable amounts of suffering and trauma.
Many migrant children would already have undergone a difficult migratory experience and incarceration risks worsening whatever ongoing concerns they may have, according to Dr. Jan Wise, chair of the BMA ethical committee.
The possibility that the Bill could allow keeping children for indefinite lengths of time is wholly unacceptable, especially when they are already some of the most vulnerable members of society, according to Dr. Adrian James, president of the RCP.
